What do you get when you combine all your favorite taco flavors in a smash burger? These delicious taco smash burgers! Made with a blend of Mexican chorizo and ground beef, this taco chorizo burger will satisfy two cravings, tacos and burgers, in one bite!
If you’ve never had a smash burger, you’re missing out! The crust on the burger gets crispy, and the beef pretty much caramelizes in its own fat… Yes, caramelized fat… What’s not to love, am I right?!
And the addition of Mexican chorizo in this taco burger takes an absolutely amazing smash burger and makes it even better.
Okay, enough introduction… here’s how to make your new favorite flavor-packed burger:
Ingredients for Taco Smash Burgers
For the taco chorizo burgers:
- 16 oz. 80/20 ground beef
- 9 oz. beef chorizo – You can substitute for pork chorizo if you want.
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- cheddar cheese slices
For the pico de gallo:
- 2 large tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 large sweet onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno, veins and seeds removed, diced – If you want a hotter pico, don’t remove the veins.
- about 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- juice of 1/2 a lime
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Taco burger toppings:
- avocado
- shredded lettuce
- sour cream
To Make the Pico de Gallo for Taco Burgers
I know you’re anxious to chow down on these chorizo taco smash burgers, but you need to make your pico de gallo first so that the flavors have time to marry.
To make the pico, combine diced tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, cilantro, minced garlic, and the juice of 1/2 a lime in a medium bowl. Toss all of the ingredients together, and add salt and pepper to taste. Store in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.
How to Make Chorizo Taco Smash Burgers
1. Preheat your flat top grill.
Preheat your flat top grill or electric griddle to about 425 to 450 degrees. For my Camp Chef Flat Top Grill, that’s the high setting.
By the way, if you don’t have an instant read laser thermometer, then I HIGHLY recommend one, especially for when you want to dial in the temp on your flat top grill. All you have to do is point the laser thermometer at your grill and pull the trigger, and it instantly gives you the precise temp of the grill’s surface.
2. Make the chorizo taco burgers.
Combine ground beef, chorizo, and taco seasoning in a medium bowl and mix well. Form the beef and chorizo mixture into balls about the size of a 1/3 cup. You’ll end up with about 3 oz. taco burger patties, so depending on your appetite, you may want to make each burger with 2 patties, like I did.
3. Put your burger balls on your flat top grill.
Once you put the burger balls on the grill, let them sit for about 2-3 minutes before touching them. This allows the beef fat to start rendering out, which is important since you didn’t add any oil or butter to the grill first.
The fat coming out of the burger balls will act as the frying agent when you smash down your burgers… so your taco smash burgers will basically be frying in their own flavorful chorizo-beef fat. And, yes, it is as good as it sounds!
4. Smash your chorizo taco burgers on the flat top grill.
After your burger balls have been cooking for a couple minutes, it’s time to smash them down. Using the bottom of a spatula, apply pressure to “smash” your taco burgers, like this:
The pressure from the spatula, and the loose consistency of the chorizo may cause your patties to fall apart, but don’t worry! After you flip them, you can use the cheddar cheese slices to hold the patties together a bit. Or, if you’re worried about your burgers falling apart, don’t smash them as thin.
After you’ve smashed your burgers, continue to let them cook without touching them until the burgers are about 75% done. When you’re making smash burgers, you shouldn’t be as concerned about the internal temp or cooking your burgers to medium rare or medium. The smash burgers will be well done to properly develop the crust.
Once your burgers are about 75% done, and you’ve got a good crust built up, it’s time to flip.
5. Flip your taco smash burgers and continue to cook them until done.
When it’s time to flip your smash burgers, you don’t want to risk losing all of the good crust that makes these burgers so delicious! As you’re sliding your spatula under the chorizo burger patties, you’ll start to feel some resistance, which is all of that good, flavorful crust that’s stuck to the grill. Be sure to apply pressure with your spatula to get underneath that crust so that it stays intact.
After you flip your burgers, top them with sliced cheddar cheese and continue to cook them until done.
While your burgers are finishing up, grab your hamburger buns and dip them, cut side down, in the leftover grease on your flat top. Then, let your buns toast on the grill for added flavor!
6. Build your chorizo taco smash burgers.
Make your taco smash burgers with your favorite taco toppings. I used sour cream, shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, and avocado slices. You could also add extra jalapeños, taco sauce, red onion, etc.
Find me a better looking burger!
Be sure to print this one and add it to your must-make recipes for the flat top grill!
Taco Smash Burgers
Ingredients
- 16 oz. 80/20 ground beef
- 9 oz. beef chorizo – You can substitute for pork chorizo if you want.
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 8 cheddar cheese slices
- 8 hamburger buns
For the Pico de Gallo
- 2 large tomatoes diced
- 1/4 large sweet onion diced
- 1 jalapeno veins and seeds removed, diced
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
Toppings for Taco Smash Burgers
- avocado slices
- sour cream
- shredded lettuce
Instructions
- Combine all pico de gallo ingredients in a medium bowl and mix. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.
- Preheat your flat top grill or electric griddle to about 425 to 450 degrees.
- Combine ground beef, chorizo, and taco seasoning in a medium bowl and mix well.
- Form meat mixture into balls about the size of 1/3 cup.
- Place chorizo burger balls on your heated flat top grill. Let them cook for 2-3 minutes before touching them. *Note – You do not need to oil or butter your cooking surface. The fat from your burgers will be plenty to grease your flat top or griddle.
- After burgers have been cooking for 2-3 minutes, gently "smash" them down using a spatula until they are about 1/4" to 1/2" thick.
- Continue to let smashed burgers cook on the 1st side until the burgers are about 75% done.
- Flip your taco smash burgers, taking care to scrap underneath the burger crust so that it stays intact. Top each chorizo burger patty with 1/2 slice cheddar cheese, and continue to cook burgers on 2nd side until done.
- When burgers are almost done cooking, toast hamburger buns on your flat top grill in the leftover grease.
- Remove taco smash burgers from the grill and serve immediately.
- Build chorizo taco burgers with your favorite taco toppings: pico de gallo, sour cream, shredded lettuce, avocado slices, taco sauce, etc.
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Comments & Reviews
Jonathan Gard says
Can’t wait to give this one a try today.
Milos L says
Looks delicious!
Travis Bulow says
Wished I would have taken pictures but these burgers were AMAZING!!! Great recipe. Doing them again soon.
John Sellars says
I enjoyed this recipe a lot. Thank you.